


Fire & Rain

by lunarknightz



Series: Death of Supermanverse [3]
Category: Smallville, Superman (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-24
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-16 23:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8121718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarknightz/pseuds/lunarknightz
Summary: How do you grieve for someone who has been dead to you for years?





	

_I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend_  
But I always thought that I'd see you again   
-James Taylor, "Fire and Rain" 

 

Few people were able to get a personal meeting with the businessman; and entrance to a Lexcorp press conference was not something easy to come by. 

Lois didn’t have an appointment. 

She’d simply walked into the building, and rode the elevator to Lex’s office. 

“I’m here to see Mr. Luthor.” Lois said as she breezed past the receptionist. “Tell him I want to see him now.” 

“Miss…Miss! You can’t go in there.” The receptionist yelled frantically.

“I can, and I will.” Lois growled, pushing her sunglasses down her nose. “Some little barely trained office monkey won’t stop me.”

“Mr. Luthor….” The receptionist reached out and grabbed Lois’ sleeve. “He won’t like this.”

“Tell Lex that Lois Lane is here to see him.” Lois said, glaring at the receptionist. She said, pushing her sunglasses back up. Purposely, she strode towards Lex’s office and threw the doors open, with the same sort of force Aragorn had used in the Lord of the Rings movie.

Lex wasn’t there.

“Dammit.” Lois sighed. The sooner she could get this over with, the better. “And now we play the waiting game.”

She walked around Lex’s office, examining the different awards, certificates, knick-knacks and photos displayed. 

His style hadn’t changed much since Smallville. The décor was classic Lex. 

“The waiting game sucks.” Lois grumbled as she fingered a paperweight that celebrated LexCorp exceeding estimated profits last year. “Couldn’t I just play Hungry, Hungry Hippos?”

“I don’t have that game, but I could have Lydia send out for it. You really freaked her out, you know.” 

Lois twirled around, and saw Lex standing just inside the door, decked out in a black Armani suit. 

“The Colonel would say she’s a marshmallow.”

“And your father would probably be right.” Lex walked towards Lois, and extended his hand. “To what, exactly, do I owe this pleasure?”

“It’s business, Lex. You want pleasure from a Lane, I suggest you see my sister.” Lois said, barely touching his hand. 

Lex pulled away, and walked past Lois, sitting down behind his desk. “I rather doubt you stormed in to see me to bitch about your sister’s sexual habits.”

“Lucy’s a big girl. I don’t care what dick she dates.”

“And the rift continues.” Lex opened the bottle of water sitting on his desk, and took a drink. “Lay it on the line, Lois. Why are you here?”

Lois took a deep breath. “I drew the short straw.” She paused slightly. “Or rather, I’m the only one that is in any state to tell you, and I thought you should know before it hits the news.”

“Is it about our dearly departed beloved Superhero?”

Lois rolled her eyes. “There’s more things in this world than Superman, Lex. But it has to do with Doomsday destruction, yes.”

“Go on.” 

“They’ve finalized the list of the people missing in the wreckage. The mayor’s releasing it in a press conference at noon today; and Lex….Clark’s on the list. Clark’s missing…and presumed dead.”

Lex’s face blanched for a single second. He recovered quickly.

“I’m sorry to hear that. The Damned fool reporter got himself in a dicey situation and killed, all that for a headline. Do give my regrets to your cousin…it can’t be easy for a girl of her age to find another boyfriend, let alone fiancé.”

Lois shot out of her seat. “It’s a good thing to see you haven’t changed, Lex.” She snapped. “You’re still the same asshole ass ever.” Lois strolled towards the door, but turned around just as she reached them. “Which makes you perfect for my sister.”

 

***

 

After Lois left, Lex had switched from water to a vintage Cabernet. He usually didn’t drink while on the job; but this was an exception to his self determined rule. He needed help relaxing on a day like today.

Days like today had been all too common lately.

Since he saw Superman save the Constitution from his office window, Lex had hated Superman. 

People were stupid. Adoring, placing their lives in the hand of someone—no something that wasn’t even human. What was an alien doing on Earth, anyway? What was his motive, saving all these people now? Gaining their allegiance? Some even worshipped the big dumb alien. 

There was no doubt that the alien was powerful- but how much power was too much power? Absolute power corrupts absolutely- Lex had seen it over and over again- in politics, in business, even in his own father. What would happen on the day when Superman freaked and did a “Here’s Johnny?” What could stop him from taking over and becoming some sort of sadist dictator? Who would protect humankind from their protector?

Lex had decided that role was his, and his alone.

The masses couldn’t see, couldn’t realize that their so called hero was nothing more than a ticking alien time bomb. He would protect them. He would protect Metropolis. He would protect the world.

Clark had trusted Superman. Even been the alien’s friend. And where in the hell had that gotten him?

Killed.

Clark Kent, dead.

Someday, he might just be able to wrap his mind around that. Clark Kent, dead. The small town farm boy was dead. 

Once he had been Lex’s savior. 

Once he had been Lex’s best friend.

Now he was dead.

Their friendship had been dead for years.

Not that they were ever the most likely of friends- who would believe that a billionaire would hang out with a high school student who hardly had two pennies to rub together?   
The Kents didn’t like the Luthor family; Jonathan had made that perfectly clear since their first meeting, just after Clark had saved Lex’s life.

But still, they had been friends. Clark might have been the best friend that Lex ever had- it wasn’t easy to make friends- true friends that liked you for you; not your pedigree or your money. Clark hadn’t been in to things like that. Clark was like the little brother that Julian or Lucas never got the chance to be; coming to Lex with questions and asking advice. He’d taught Clark a lot about how he understood the world to be back then.

But back then, Lex had still been a child.

He became a man when he took down his father, once and for all. The trial and putting Lionel in jail had been just the first battle of a very long war in the Luthor family. Lex finally became victorious; beating down the magnificent bastard for once and for all. Lionel’s body rested in a large crypt in the downtown Metropolis cemetery; his soul, Lex was certain, was burning in hell.

There had been causalities- the death of Gabe Sullivan, who had been Lex’s ally in this gambit to take Lionel down. 

Gabe’s death was the final nail in the coffin of his friendship with Clark; which had been tattered before Gabe died. 

He regretted Gabe’s death, but in every gambit, in every game of chess, you had to loose a piece or two in order to win.

After Gabe’s funeral, Lex had left Smallville.

He’d never looked back.

Lex took tight control over the company, quickly expanding and improving it. 

Soon, he was the most powerful man in Metropolis. He’d been Metropolis’ hero, bringing the city into a new golden age.

When Superman came, they stopped viewing Lex as a hero. The alien would foil a plan, not understanding the notion of acceptable losses. 

Hell, even Spock from Star Trek knew the odds of the many outweighed the odds of the few, or even the one.

Not Superman, though. 

Now Superman was dead.

He should be happy that such a risk was eliminated, that the city would be safe from now on.

Only in death had Lex been able to beat Superman. 

He won by default, and that pissed him the hell off.

He wanted absolution.

The wine tasted bitter, but Lex drank it anyway. 

How could you grieve for someone who had been dead to you for so many years?

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted March 2005.


End file.
